Search Engine Optimization [SEO]
What Is Search
Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization[SEO]
is the art and science of getting pages to rank higher in search engines such
as Google. But search is one of the main ways in which people discover content
online, ranking higher in search engines can lead to an increase in traffic to
a website..
In Google and other search
engines, the results page often features paid ads at the top of the page,
followed by the regular results or what search marketers call the "organic
search results".
Traffic that comes via SEO is often referred to as
"organic search traffic" to differentiate it from traffic that comes
through paid search.
Paid search is often referred to as search engine marketing
(SEM) or pay-per-click (PPC).
your ecommerce website’s SEO
strategy.
A Google, Bing, or Yahoo search is the beginning of a
shopper’s journey to your site, and proper( SEO )techniques will ensure
that you make the best first impression.
Though the world of (SEO) can be incredibly complex
to navigate, especially for ecommerce sites, the following checklist will
ensure you are moving in the right directio.
Ecommerce
Technical SEO Checklist ?
Technical SEO is the foundation for any successful SEO
strategy.Follow these steps to ensure your technical SEO is on point: Ensure
Your Website Can Be Crawled & IndexedIf a search engine can’t crawl your
website, it can’t rank your content.
The Benefits Of SEO
ways that users navigate the web. In 2014, over 2.5 trillion
searches were conducted worldwide across search engines such as Google, Bing,
Yahoo, you tube and facebook For most websites, traffic that comes from search
engines (known as "natural" or "organic" traffic) accounts
for a large portion of their total traffic.
Search results are presented in an ordered list, and the higher up
on that list a site can get, the more traffic the site will tend to receive.
For example, for a typical search query, the number one result will receive 50-70% of the total traffic for that query, with the number two and three
results receiving significantly less traffic. Only 2-4% of searchers click
beyond the first page of search results.
Thus, even a Search engine
optimization is a key part of online marketing but search is one of the primary small
improvement in search engine rankings can result in a website receiving more
traffic and potentially business.
Because of this, many businesses
and website owners will try to manipulate the search results so that their site
shows up higher on the search results page (SERP) than their competitors. This
is where SEO comes in.
Specifically, it can’t rank your products in search
resultsYour site’s indexability, crawlability, speed, content, schema markup,
and overall user-friendliness are all essential components of technical SEO.If
these elements are correctly set up, the rest of your ecommerce SEO strategy
will fall into place.
Step 2.
Resolve Pages with 404 Errors.
Google Search Console is an incredibly useful tool
for all websites.Once your site is verified, your first step should be to
address any pages that come up with errors.
These are broken pages that Google is unable to crawl, often
due to an out-of-date sitemap, out-of-stock products, or a temporary server
error.
Step3.
Double-Check Excluded Pages
You also want to check your excluded pages, as Google cannot
index them due to the code in your robots.txt file.Though this list is often
comprised of pages you don’t want a search engine to crawl anyway, such as the
cart or customer profile page, you should double-check it to ensure no
essential pages are blocked from crawlers.
Step 4.
Add Schema Markup to Your Site.
Schema markup is a batch of HTML tags that allow Google to
display the price, rating, availability, and more product details right on the
search results page.
How Search Engine Optimization
Works.
Adding it to your site is easy, and it’s vital that you do
so.It ensures that your products are more appealing on the first page of
results and in the shopping tab of Google.
You can view your current schema markup setup within the
products report of Google Search Console.Ecommerce Keyword ChecklistOnce your
technical SEO is sound, you will want to evaluate your current keywords and see
which pages are ranking for them.
Step 5.
Target Specific, Sales-Driven Keywords.
One of the biggest mistakes ecommerce business owners make
is targeting the wrong keywords.Many go after the terms with the highest search
volume related to a brand.
Though they look great in research, it’s the more specific,
lower-search-volume keywords that will bring in the conversions.For example,
“2017 Subaru Crosstrek rims” may not have an impressive volume compared to
“Subaru rims” or “rims.”
However, the more specific term will lead directly to your
product page, and searchers will find exactly what they are looking for.
Step 6.
Focus on Keyword Intent.
You want to ensure the keywords you are targeting reflect
the right searcher intent.Google’s RankBrain helps to determine if a query is
informational or transactional. As an ecommerce site, you want to ensure you’re
targeting transactional keywords.
You can identify what type a particular term is by searching
it in an incognito window to see what results pop up.If the query directs you
primarily to product pages, you’re on the right track.
Step 7.
Don’t Compete with Yourself.
Once you have figured out your transactional, sales-driven
keywords, try to ensure multiple pages are not ranking for the same term.If two
pages rank for a specific query, Google will not know which to display first,
or at all.
You don’t want to put in all that effort researching your
transactional keywords only to have users directed to the homepage instead of
the product page.
Google Search Console can show you the ranking position,
clicks, impressions, and CTR for your website’s pages to determine if there’s
any self-inflicted competition for specific keywords.
Ecommerce Content Checklist.Quality content is certainly not
a new factor when it comes to your rankings.
Though long, in-depth content may not initially be your top
priority as an ecommerce website, your rankings will suffer if it’s pushed to
the backburner.
Step 8.
Avoid Duplicated Content.
Google is continuously promoting unique, high-quality
content, and websites with duplicated content are going to pay the price.If 60%
of any page’s information matches another, Google could consider it duplicated.
From an ecommerce standpoint, if you have individual product
pages for the same item, but in different colors or sizes, those pages could be
deemed duplicates.
Consolidating all of these options onto one page will not
only solve this issue but ensure your site is responsive and user-friendly.
Step 9.
Improve Any Thin Content.
Google is also on the lookout for pages with thin content.
If a product page doesn’t contain a detailed description and
images specific to the item, it may not be indexed.
The reasoning is that Google does not believe the page will
satisfy the user’s search intent, as there is little information to provide.
Go through your products to ensure all of the descriptions,
images, specs, and other essential information is clearly defined and available
to visitors.
Step 10.
Mobile-First Indexing.
For at least 90% of websites, Google now uses mobile-first
indexing to determine your ranking based on the content of your mobile site,
not the desktop version.
With mobile searches largely outnumbering desktop searches,
you want to ensure your website and products are optimized for these devices.
Make sure you have detailed, visible content on your mobile
site so those with intent to buy can find your product effectively.
The best way to tackle this is to have a responsive
ecommerce website.
This will allow your site to adapt to the screen size of the
user’s device, making mobile-first indexing a minimal concern.
Conclusion.
Ultimately, you should walk away from this article with the
following in mind.
Do not underestimate the role that technical SEO plays in
your site’s rankings. Technical elements such as crawlability and schema markup
are essential to your success.
Do not mistakenly target your SEO keywords. Know the
difference between transactional and informational queries, and target terms
that will increase sales.
Do not ignore thin or duplicated content on your website, as
it can drastically decrease your site’s chances of ranking effectively.
The
mobile version of your website should also be properly optimized for Google’s
mobile-first indexing.
By focusing on these three main areas, your ecommerce
website will be an SEO force to be reckoned with this year.
More Resources:
Tags:
seo